Licking Lady Wildcats capture District Volleyball Championship

By Editor | October 28, 2026 |

Photo by Shari Harris
The 2026 Class 2 District 7 Volleyball Champions are, from left, front: Braylyn Conaway, Bailee Medlock, Zoey Sellars, Hadlee Davis, Lily Godi, Paxten Keeney and Luci Todaro; and back: Asst. Coach Kamryn Keeney, manager Kavyn Kinder, Jocie Floyd, Lilly Reed, Peyton Holland, Penelope Huff, Adalee Hart, Alyvia Turrubiates, Head Coach Tammy Gorman and Asst. Coach Winter Murray.

The Licking Lady Wildcats captured the title of Class 2 District 7 Volleyball Champions with a win over Steelville in Friday’s championship game.

Licking earned a spot in the final match by defeating fifth seed Belle in three straight sets on Wednesday, October 21, 25-17, 25-16, 27-25.

Second seed Steelville hosted this year’s District 7 tournament and took a home floor advantage into the championship match, which pitted them against first seed Licking.

In the first set, Steelville took a time out after Licking jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The Lady Cats maintained their lead, and the Lady Cardinals used their second time out at 20-16. But there was no stopping the Lady Cats, and the first set ended with a score of 25-18.

The Lady Cardinals fought back in the second set, and Licking trailed through most of the set, tying it up occasionally to drop one or two down again. Head Coach Tammy Gorman used a time out when Licking dropped to a three point deficit, 14-17. After dropping another point, the Lady Cats rallied to tie the set at 18-18, forcing a Steelville time out. The lead changed hands a few times, and Steelville used another time out with Licking a point away from the win, at 25-24. But the Lady Wildcats were determined and claimed the set, 26-24.

By the third set, the small gymnasium was filled with the shouts of fans at the edge of their seats. Steelville again started out ahead, taking as much as a four point lead (7-3) before the Lady Cats got back in the game and tied it up at 8-8 with a Paxten Keeney kill. The lead wobbled back and forth from there, with neither team able to pull away by more than two points. Steelville called a time out when trailing by one, 20-19, then Licking captured the next two points. Another time out was called by Steelville, but the Lady Cats were not to be deterred, closing out the set 25-19 to win District 7.

In Friday’s game, Hadlee Davis had 29 assists. Addie Hart served for 9 aces and had two blocks. Penelope Huff also had two blocks, got nine digs and connected for 14 kills. Bailee Medlock led the team in digs with 16, and Alyvia Turrubiates had 5. Hitters with kills also included Paxten Keeney with 6, Peyton Holland with five and Lily Godi with 4.

The Licking Lady Wildcats will travel to Mountain View Thursday to face District 8 champion Mountain View/Liberty. Game time is at 6:30 p.m. The winner of this state sectional matchup will compete Saturday, October 31, in the quarterfinal round. Game time and location are to be determined.